Monday, February 29, 2016

1958 is remembered for brilliance of Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala.By 1958, the scenario of Indian films changed. From the dominance of few superstars like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar, the Bollywood industry also propagated sophisticated actors like Balraj Sahani, Bharat Bhushan, Pradip Kumar and others. Actresses like Vaijayantimala topped the list adding competition to Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari and others. Directors like Bimal Roy, Ramesh Saigal, Satyen Bose did a great job. In respect of music in addition to Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, the other composers did magic including Dattaram, Salil Choudhury, SD Burman, OP Nayyar and others.
Madhumati was the greatest blockbuster of 1958. It was produced and directed by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The music for the film was composed by Salil Choudhury with lyrics written by Shailendra. The film stars Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala acted the lead roles along with Pran and Johnny Walker.
On a stormy night, Devendra (Dilip Kumar), an engineer, drives down a hill road with his friend to fetch his wife and child from the railway station. A landslide blocks their path and the friends take shelter in an old mansion off the road. Devendra finds the house uncannily familiar. In the large front room, he finds an old portrait which he recognizes. His friend and the old caretaker join him, and Devendra, amidst flashes of memory from another life, sits down to tell his story while the storm rages outside.
In Madhumati Anand (Dilip Kumar) had come to Shyamnagar Timber Estate as its new manager. An artist in his spare time, he roamed the hills and fell in love with Madhumati (Vyjayantimala), a tribal girl whose songs have haunted him from a distance. Anand's employer, Ugra Narayan (Pran) was a ruthless and arrogant man and as Anand refused to bend down to him like others, he incurred his wrath. Anand also had enemies among his staff including Tiwari. Sent away on an errand, he returned to find that Madhumati had disappeared. He learned that Madhumati had been taken to Ugra Narayan, and confronted him but was beaten unconscious by Ugra Narayan's men. While Ugra Narayan's men were taking Anand's body out of the palace, his men met with Madhumati's dad (Jayant) who had to fight for her own daughter's death. He did it and won but died laying down in the road while Charandas (Johnny Walker) hided the body and took it to the hospital. It was a film relating to re-incarnations.
All the songs in the film became bumper hits like Lata’s “aaja re pardesi”, “zulmi sang aankh lari”, Rafi’s “tute hue khwabone”, “jangal me mor naacha”, to mention a few.
The entire team of Madhumati took away all the filmfare awards. Dilip Kumar was adjudged the best actor

, Johny Walker the best supporting actor, Salil Choudhury the best music director, Bimal Roy the best director. The film also received the national award for best film in 1958.
Chalti Ka Naam Gaari was the second biggest hit of the year. Very significantly all the 3 brothers Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and Kishore Kumar acted in the film. It was directed by Satyen Bose. In the film the brothers owned a garage. Ashok Kumar fell in love with Veena, but could not marry her. From that time he hated women. His brother Kishore Kumar fell in love with Madhubala. KN Singh played the role of villain in the film. The music of SD Burman became super hit with songs like “haal kaisa hai janabka”, sung by Kishore Kumar and Madhubala.
Yahudi was the third biggest hit film of 1958. Dilip Kumar played the character of a yahudi, or jew in the film. It was a love story made in the backdrop of Roman Empire. At the end of the film Dilip Kumar became blind. Sohrab Modi, Meena Kumari, Nigar Sultana and Dilip Kumar gave landmark performances. The music of Shankar Jaikishan was outstanding with Mukesh’s hit song “yeh mera diwanapan hai”.
Phir Subah Hogi was the fourth biggest hit film of 1958. The film was produced and directed by Ramesh Saigal and starring Raj Kapoor and Mala Sinha in lead roles. The movie was an adaption of Fyodor Dostoevsky's immortal novel, Crime and Punishment. Ram (Raj Kapoor) is a poor law student who supports his education with money orders from his mother and things he pawns. While struggling with his poor finances, he save a boy from accident. Seeing the poor condition of the boy's family he gives all his savings for the boy's treatment. Ram keeps visiting the boy and falls in love with the boy's elder sister Sohni (Mala Sinha). Sohni's father Gopal is addicted to liquor which Harbanslal keeps providing him with. Harbanslal has a mean motive in doing so as he wants marry Sohni. To prevent Sohni's arranged marriage with Harbanslal, Ram decides to rob the pawn broker. But he is caught in the act, and he murders the pawn owner.
Ram's conscience keeps telling him to admit his crime. But he never picks up the courage to do so. The police inspector on the case keeps suspecting Ram for the crime. With no proof he, too, is helpless. Ram learns that police have already arrested another thief and have charged him with this robbery and murder. On the last day when the court is to rule in the case, Raj makes up his mind and admits. He pleads saying how he was acting in self-defense against real villains of the society. The court sentences him for three years of imprisonment. Sohni promises that she will wait for his release and then marry him.
Raj Kapoor, Rehman and Mala Sinha’s performances were outstanding. The music of Khayyam was very impressive with hit songs of Mukesh, “chin-o-arab hamara”, “wo subah kabhi to ayegi”, “phir na kije meri gustakh nigahon ka gila”, to name a few.
Sadhna was the 5th biggest hit film of 1958 with Vaijayantimala and Sunil Dutt in the lead roles. It was produced and directed by BR Chopra. The music was composed by Dutta Naik. Lata’s song “aurat ne janam diya mardon ko”, became super hit. Vaijayantimala received the best actress award for playing a complex role of tawaif in the film.
Phagun was the 6th biggest hit film of 1958 with Bharat Bhushan and Madhubala in the lead roles. The film was directed by Bibhuti Mitra. OP Nayyar’s music stormed Bollywood. Rafi’s song “mai soya ankhiyan miche” became super hit.
Raj Kapoor’s Parvarish was the 7th biggest hit film of 1958. It was directed by S Banerjee. Dattaram composed the music of the film. Raj Kapoor and Mehmood were born together, but due to accident in the hospital, Nazir Hussain could not identify who was his real son. He was a Thakur. Mala Sinha’s father Harnam Singh gave word to him to marry his daughter with his actual son. Radhakrishan, the uncle trained Raj Kapoor and Mehmood. Raj Kapoor sacrificed his solvent family and deliberately consumed alcohol to show Mehmood was the actual son. At the end the reality was revealed. The music of Dattaram was impressive, with Mukesh’s song “aansoo bhari hai” and Manna Dey’s song “masti bhara yeh sama” became super hit.
If the films of 1958 are summarized, it will be seen that while historical films, social films, all created impact on viewers mind. While directors like Bimal Roy, Satyen Bose and others made realistic films, the actors like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, made significant contribution. Actresses like Vaijayantimala, Madhubala, Mala Sinha, Meena Kumari created sensation. Music directors like Salil Choudhury, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Khayyam made significant contribution. Singers like Rafi, Mukesh, Talat, Lata, Geeta Dutt and others were very prominent in the films. The films and the songs should be restored.

Happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor on 18th March, 2016. In 2011 he received the filmfare lifetime achievement award. In 2011, he received Padmabhushan, the civilian award for his excellence in bollywood films. His sickness prevents him from freely walking, but he receives most of his awards on wheel chair.
Born in 1938, Shashi Kapoor started his acting career in the film Aag in 1948 directed by his elder brother Raj Kapoor. He also showed his acting skills as a child artist in the film Awara in 1951. The film won different awards in international film festivals and ended up being super hit.
Shashi Kapoor acted in off-beat films at the beginning of his career like Prempatra opposite Sadhna. He entertained the audience with the film Jab Jab Phool Khilen in 1965. All the songs of Rafi composed by Kalyanji Anandji in the film became super hit like “pardesiyon se na”, “yahan mai ajnabee hoon”, “na na karke pyar”, etc. From that time Shashi Kapoor acted with Nanda in a number of films like Muhabbat Is Ko Kehte Hai, Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari, etc. Rafi’s songs in many Shashi Kapoor films did magic including “o dilbar janiye”, “dilbar dilbar”, “bekhudi me sanam”, to name a few. Shankar Jaikishan gave notable tunes to Shashi Kapoor in the film Kanyadan. Madanmohan gave notable tunes to Shashi Kapoor in the film Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari.
In the late 60s Shashi Kapoor acted in many romantic films like Pyar Kiye Jaa, Kanyadaan, Abhinetri, Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati, etc. In Pyar Kiye Ja, he acted opposite actress Nanda, in Kanyadan he acted opposite Asha Parekh, in Abhinetri he acted opposite Hema Malini, in Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati he acted opposite Babita. In the 70s, Shashi Kapoor acted in action films along with Amitabh Bacchan, at a time when action films dominated either types of films in bollywood.
His dialogue in the film Dewaar opposite Big B titled “mere paas ma hai” became immortal over the years. He acted in many films opposite Big B like Shaan, Do Aur Do Paanch, Iman Dharam, Namakhalal, Suhaag, Kala Pathhar, Kabhi Kabhi,Trishul, Silsila, etc., and most of those films ended up being blockbusters. Some of these films were multi-starred in nature. For example in Shaan and Kala Patthar he acted opposite Big B and Shatrughun Sinha. It was his sheer talent, that he could adapt himself in the new regime of anti-establishment films in the 70s, starting from Dewaar, which were quite different from the society shown in the romantic films of the 60s. He acted with other bollywood actors like Shatrughun Sinha in films like Gautam Govinda.
He was a close friend of Ismail Merchant and featured in many of his English films like Siddharta. He produced impressive films like Junoon directed by Shyam Benegal and Vijeta directed by Govind Nihalini. His sons Kunal Kapoor and Karan Kapoor acted in many films.
In the 1990s, Shashi Kapoor put on a lot of weight and stopped acting. He was in tears to receive the filmfare lifetime achievement award. The viewers pay homage to the veteran actor and wish him good health.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Happy birthday to Fardeen Khan.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Fardeen Khan on 8th March, 2016. He had created an identity for himself inspite of being the son of popular bollywood star Feroz Khan. Most of the sons and daughters of the celebrities of bollywood films had always struggled due to comparison of them with their parents.
In case of Fardeen Khan, he never tried to imitate Feroz Khan. Feroz Khan was famous for his stylish performance in action films including Oonche Log, Apradh, Dharmatma, Khote Sikke, Qurbani, Jaanbaaz, Yalgaar, etc. In most of these films he introduced Hollywood style of acting in Indian films. Fardeen Khan instead of imitating his father created a simple style of acting which suited different types of films.
His performance in the film No Entry in 2005, requires special mention. He played the character of a journalist in the film in the company of Anil Kapoor. He had an affair with Celina Jaitley, but just because he had to save Anil Kapoor, he told a lie to Lara Dutta that Bipasha Basu was his wife.
From that time onwards he just went on telling one lie after the other. He went to Mauritious for honeymoon. Even there he found Anil Kapoor and Lara Dutta and his relationship with Bipasha Basu was revealed. Both Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley filed divorce suits against Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan respectively due to their relationship with Bipasha Basu. Salman Khan had to come all the way from abroad to save the situation. His playacting with Esha Deol had helped both Fardeen Khan and Anil Kapoor to ease out their relationship with their wives. Fardeen Khan’s lips in the song “kahan ho tum” was very impressive. The film had excellent songs and the comedy sequences appealed to the viewers. The film ended up being a blockbuster.
The other notable films of Fardeen Khan included Bhoot with Urmila Matondkar, Jungle with Urmila Matondkar, etc. In Bhoot he played a negative character but expressed the horror feelings to perfection when Urmila Matondkar’s spirits haunted him. The film Jungle was based on the story of Veerappan in the forests of Karnataka where he became a smuggling don. Fardeen Khan’s performance in the film Dev was also worth mentioning.
In 2009, Fardeen Khan’s film All The Best with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan did business worth 60 crore rupees. He played the role of the brother of Sanjay Dutt who used the pocket money to do weird acts. His friend Ajay Devgan used to give him ideas but it created more trouble for Fardeen Khan. When Sanjay Dutt came for sudden visit to his house as his flight got delayed, the chaos and confusion entertained the viewers. Fardeen Khan’s docile image in the film balanced the aggressive image of Sanjay Dutt. Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse complimented the stars in the film.
It is difficult for Fardeen Khan to match the popularity of Salmaan Khan or Shahrukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan in the present time. But even with his limited popularity he has created an identity with which he can be categorized. In 2016, his film No Entry Mein Entry will be completed. He will act with the same team that he acted in No Entry, including Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor. The viewers expect Fardeen Khan to explore himself further in bollywood films in future.

Happy birthday to Rani Mukherjee.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rani Mukherjee on 21st March, 2016. Born on 21st March, 1978, she started her career with the film Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat. She ruled bollywood films from 2002 to 2006. After that all of a sudden her stardom got affected.
She rose to stardom with brilliant performance in Karan Johar’s film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. She acted opposite Kajol and Shahrukh Khan and superseded both of them in the film. She received the filmfare best supporting actress award for her performance in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. After reaching stardom she acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood films. Her films Badal and Bichhu opposite Bobby Deol, which involved terrorism and narcotics respectively, did great business. Her film Ghulam opposite Aamir Khan was successful. Her lips in the song “aati kya khandala” were well appreciated.
She got critical acclamation for powerful performance in the film Saathiya opposite Vivek Oberoi. All the songs composed by AR Rehman were super hit and film took Rani Mukherjee’s career to a different dimension. She played significant roles in other films like Nayak opposite Anil Kapoor, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke opposite Salman Khan, Chalte Chalte opposite Shahrukh Khan.
She played the role of her life in Black. In the film she played the character of a blind girl. The entire process rediscovering herself earned her the filmfare award under the category of both best actress and best actress under critic’s choice. Then her combination with Abhishek Bacchan was well received by the viewers. Films like Bunty Aur Bably and Yuva was well received by the viewers. Rani Mukherjee started showing her versatility in any type of role, including the role of surrogate mother, aspiring model, etc.
Her other successful films included Mujhse Dosti Karoge opposite Hrithik Roshan, Veer Zara opposite Shahrukh Khan, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega opposite Salman Khan, to name a few. Her attachment with the Yash Raj Banner had led to downfall after 2007. None of the films like Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic, Ta Ra Rum Pum, did good business, and Rani Mukherjee lost out of competition with successful actresses of the present period like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, etc.
In 2011, her film No One Killed Jessica did well. She acted opposite Vidya Balan and the performance of both the actresses was well appreciated by the audience and the critics. She received awards also for the brilliant performance in the film No One Killed Jessica. In 2012 she acted two films. Her performance opposite Aamir Khan in the film Talaash was well appreciated. The other film Aiyyaa did mediocre business.
In 2013 she acted in the film Bombay Talkies. In 2014 her film Mardaani did very well. The viewers expect Rani Mukherjee to make come back in character roles because a lot of acting is still left in

Happy birthday to Anupam Kher.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Anupam Kher on 7th March, 2016. He had been indispensable during the 80s and 90s and contributed both in commercial films and parallel cinema. He initially attracted the attention of critics by performing well in the film Surhansh. He played the role of an old person who had served the nation but was neglected after retirement.
At that time he got the offer of playing the role old persons one after the other at a young age. His performance in the films Daddy, Janam, etc., were well appreciated by the thoughtful viewers. But the film that had made him a star was Karma. The film Karma directed by Subhash Ghai was released in 1985 and after that Anupam Kher never looked back.
Anupam Kher acted opposite Dilip Kumar in Subhash Ghai’s multi-starrer venture Karma. He played the role of a terrorist leader named Dr. Dang. He was arrested by Dilip Kumar, but his men blew up the prison and released him. He then took revenge by killing the family members of Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar created an army full of prisoners who were suffering life sentences including Anil Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Jackie Shroff. He fought against the men of Anupam Kher and addressed terrorism with style.
From that time onwards, commercial directors started casting Anupam Kher either in villainous roles or comedy roles. He successfully acted in comedy roles in the film Ram Lakhan, as the father of Madhuri Dixit, Jamai Raja as the brother of Hema Malini, Khel, as the partner of Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. He received the maximum number of filmfare awards for comedy performance in the history of bollywood cinema. He showed his comedy instincts also in the film Apna Sapna Money Money opposite Ritesh Deshmukh.
Apart from relief characters, Anupam Kher acted in serious films and his performance was very natural over there. His performance in the film Kahona Pyar Hai, in the role of the father of Amisha Patel was very impressive. He sent killers to murder Hrithik Roshan, yet he concealed his own involvement in the plan to his daughter in style. He did very well in the film A Wednesday opposite Naseeruddin Shah. His performance in the film 1942 a love story, in the role of the father of Manisha Koirala also require special mention. He received best supporting actor Star Screen Award for the performance in the film. He also received Padmashri in 1994.
His performance in the film China Gate, Khosla Ka Ghoshla, Akhree Rasta, requires special mention. He had acted in more than 450 films in a span of 25 years. In that respect no other actor other than Amrish Puri, Kader Khan and Paresh Rawal, had such a huge contribution in bollywood films like Anupam Kher. He was very impressive in 2009 in the films God Tussi Great Ho, where he played the role of the father of Salman Khan, A Wednesday, etc. Still critics feel that had he not got typecast in comedy roles, he was more versatile and could have contributed more in serious roles.
In 2013, Anupam Kher had acted in the films Special 26, Chasme Badoor and Yamla Pagla Dewaana 2. In 2014 he was busy with the hindi remake of hit Bengali film Bhooter bhabishyat. The viewers expect him to continue the good work in the years to come.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Shahid Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha were awesome in R Rajkumar.
The film R Rajkumar did business of more than 65 crores. The film had been super hit. The business of the film got affected due to release of Dhoom 3 in the last week of December which did business of more than 230 crores.
It had been directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by Viki Rajani and Sunil Lulla. The music of the film had been composed by Pritam. Shahid Kapoor worked for Drug racket holder Sonu Sood. The racket was controlled internationally by Sridhar who operated it from Malaysia.
Shahid Kapoor fell in love with Sonakshi Sinha, who was the nephew of Ashish Vidyarthi, who was also another drug racket holder. Sonu Sood compromised with Ashish Vidyarthi with the condition that he wanted to marry Sonakshi Sinha. Shahid Kapoor challenged him that he would not allow Sonakshi Sinha to be married on the day of Dussehra, instead he would marry her.
The rest of the film was related to oppression of Ashish Vidyarthi, keeping Sonakshi Sinha within 4 walls. At last there was furious action between Sonu Sood and Shahid Kapoor resulting in Shahid Kapoor killing Sonu Sood. He also killed the international drug dealer.
The music of Pritam was successful. The songs “gandi baat” sung by Mika Singh and Kalpana Patowari, “mat maari” sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Kunal Ganjawala, “saree ke fall sa” sung by Antara Mitra and Nakash Aziz became smash hits. Shahid Kapoor is second best dancer in India after Hrithik Roshan. He rocked the screen with each of his dance performances. Sonakshi Sinha was graceful at every stage of the film. The performances of Sonu Sood, Ashish Vidyarthi, Asrani, Achut Potdar and Mukul Dev were per excellence.
The film became super hit and ended the dry run of Shahid Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha. Both required a hit. Both should do better job in future.

Happy birthday to Bobby Deol.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Bobby Deol, on 27th January, 2016. He had acted in many successful films in his long career, and the new generation expects even better performance from the stylish actor.
In 2013 film Yaamla Pagla Deewana 2 did not do great business. He is busy with the film Border 2. In 2012 his first film Players did not do great business. He played the role of a magician in the thriller film of Abbas Mastan. But Abhishek Bacchan played the lead role in the film. As Bobby Deol’s role was small in the film, he had hardly big role to play in the success or failure of the film.
Being the son of Dharmender and brother of Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol required some special skills to create his identity and look different to the viewers. He showed his stylish accent in the film Gupt which was a murder mystery. Bobby Deol was alleged to have killed his father Raj Babbar and was sent to jail. He escaped from the jail with the help of Manisha Koirala and proved himself innocent.
He matched the villainish performance of Kajol in the film and balanced the performances of a series of villains in the film including Prem Chopra, Raza Murad, etc. Om Puri was sublime in the role of a police inspector and Bobby Deol showed his personality when both of them met each other. He even gave good lips in the songs composed by Viju Shah like “bechaniya”, “gupt, gupt”, etc.
Producers started casting Bobby Deol in stylish roles especially in action pact films like Soldier. He did very well opposite Preeti Zinta. Most of the film was shot in Australia and Bobby Deol proved himself both as a romantic actor and also action. All the songs of the film were hit including “soldier, soldier”, “mehfil me ekbaar”, etc. His action stunts opposite Suresh Oberoi was ably appreciated by the viewers.
After few years Bobby Deol changed his hair style but continued to act in action films like Badal and Bicchu. In both these films his heroine was Rani Mukherjee who added attraction in the films. Bobby Deol brought out the vengeance in the character of terrorists especially in the film Badal. But someway or the other due to strong domination of Shahrukh Khan mainly in romantic films, Bobby Deol’s films did mediocre business and he did not get the recognition he deserved.
Even in suspense thrillers like Ajnabee, Bobby Deol balanced the villanish performance of Akshay Kumar and individual performances of Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu. The film had many twists and turns and Bobby Deol ultimately took revenge against Akshay Kumar for planting a false case against him.
Bobby Deol even did well in the film Aur Pyar Ho Gaya opposite Aishwarya Rai. His films Jhoom Barabar Jhoom did not do that well in 2007, but his film Heroes in 2008 did good business.
In 2009, his film Ek, The Power of One did moderate business. He had shown excellence in action films, but for the last few years action films did not do great business. With strong competition from Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Amir Khan and the new heroes Bobby Deol has to do something exceptional to maintain his stardom.
In 2011, all the three Deols namely, Bobby Deol, Sunny Deol and Dharmender appeared in the film Yaamla Paagla Deewana. The film had been released in January, 2011 and did great business Bobby Deol played the role of a thief who was reformed by his brother Sunny Deol. He showed his comedy instincts in the film. The film was named with Mohammad Rafi’s super hit song “jat yaamla pagla deewana” picturised on actor Dharmender in the mid 70s in the film Pratigya.
In 2013 he acted in the Yaamla Pagla Deewana 2. But the film did average business. The viewers expect him to do even better in bollywood films in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Mr. Perfectionist Star Amir Khan.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mr. Perfectionist and Committed Star Amir Khan on 14th of March, 2016. He has proved himself as one of the most committed actors of modern bollywood films. He also carried on the legacy of Tragedy King Dilip Kumar of acting in less number of films and meaningful films. In 2012, the viewers are eagerly waiting for his new film Talaash. These days whenever Amir Khan’s films are released they end up being blockbusters.
He started his career with the hit film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988 opposite Juhi Chawla. His film had brought back the era of romantic films, after bollywood was loaded with action films for more than 20 years. The music of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak composed by Anand Milind and majority of songs sung by Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik created history. The popular songs included “aye mere humsafar”, “papa kehte hai”, etc. The film did excellent business and Amir Khan became a star at the early part of his career.
From that time onwards Amir Khan acted in many romantic films like Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke, opposite Juhi Chawla, Ishq opposite Juhi Chawla, Dil opposite Madhuri Dixit, Mann opposite Manisha Koirala. Being a relative of Nasir Hussain, Amir Khan showed his acting skills from the beginning of his career. He gave able lips in most of the songs of Udit Narayan and with passage of time showed his versatility in different types of films.
He did extremely well in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s film Lagaan. Lagaan was based on the story of Indian farmers entering into a challenge with the British Govt. during the colonial rule. A cricket match was held between the British team and the Indian peasants. The condition was that if the Indians won it, the farmers would be excused of the share of produce that they supposed to give the landlords and the British Govt. of such. Amir Khan gave training to the rural Indians and ultimately won the match amidst odds.
Amir Khan was sublime in his performance in patriotic film based on the life Mangal Pandey and he did an excellent job in the film Sarfarosh. Even as a director he showed innovative vision by making a film on the subject related to children. The film Taren Zameen Par showed that every child in the world is special. They have their innovative qualities. The job of the teachers and the academicians should be to unearth their skills The songs in the film composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy were also sensational.
Even in 2008, Amir Khan’s film Ghajini was remarkable in nature. He played the role of a person who lost his memory every 20 minutes. He took revenge against the murder of his girlfriend, but he did it with his limitation in respect of the lost memory. He had played probably the role of his career. He came out with even greater hit film in 2009, The 3 idiots. The film had done more than 200 crores business till now. Even more than that the film directed by Raj Kumar Hirani, had a serious social message to give. The message is that the parents should not overburden the students with their own choices. Students should be allowed to specialize in the line they love and enjoy. Although filmfare awards had not been fare to Amir Khan, it does not matter for Amir Khan at all. He is the actor of the refined section of audience and will remain there for periods to come. In 2010, his venture Peepli Live had been ably appreciated by the critics and the audience as a whole.
In 2011, his film Dhobi Ghaat did well in most part of India. He had acted well in the film. He also requested hall owners not to give break in the film, because it takes away the concentration in the film. Talash released in 2012 showed the intensity with which Amir Khan played the role of investigating officer who lost his own son who drowned in water. Amir Khan’s Dhoom 3 released in 2013 did business of more than 280 crores. In 2014 his film PK destroyed all records and did business of more than 330 crores. Raj Kumar Hirani directed the film, and Aamir Khan did a brilliant job in the film. He is a very cultured actor and the viewers have lot of hope on the thoughtful personality for innovative ventures in the years to come.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Happy birthday to Urmila Matondkar.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy to Urmila Matondkar, one of the style icons of bollywood industry on 4th February, 2016. She had entertained the viewers over the last 15 years with her variety of performances.
She has been one of the main contributors of Ram Gopal Verma’s films. Most of his films had been related to supernatural power and horror subject matters. Urmila Matondkar had given spirited performances in those films and amused the viewers. Her performance in the film Bhoot meaning ghost requires special mention. She was tortured and ill-treated by a person and after the death of the soul, the unsatisfied spirits entered Urmila’s body and disclosed the truth relating to the sad event to the people at large. The horror, fear, anxiety, etc., were expressed by Urmila in style. The role was difficult to perform and Urmila did it in style.
Her comedy performance in films like Daud opposite Sanjay Dutt was also appreciated. The film was related to stealing of property and the chase relating to them by Paresh Rawal and his men. Apparently there was hardly any action but serious comedy all along the film where Urmila Matondkar and Sanjay Dutt complimented each other.
Urmila Matondkar acted in different types films. Films like Pinjar were made for the interest of serious viewers. While films like Rangeela addressed the common crowd. Urmila Matondkar exhibited her stylish andaz in the film opposite stalwarts like Amir Khan and Jackie Shroff. It was a superhit film and made Urmila Matondkar a leading star of bollywood.
Even in films where Urmila Matondkar had acted with ordinary make up, the story and her performance impressed the viewers. Films like Jungle being made with the background of Verappan’s jungle expeditions were admired by different sections of the viewers. Even her performance in the film Tehzeeb along with Shabana Azmi attracted the attention of intellectual audience. She had an abnormal sister and both Shabana Azmi and she herself treated her with care.
She received filmfare critics award for best actress in 2004 for her superlative performance in the film Bhoot. She also received starscreen award and Zee-cine awards for her powerful performance in Bhoot in 2004.
She was also sublime in commercial films like Jaanam Samjha Karo opposite Salman Khan. She gave impressive lips in the songs “janam samjha karo”, “o chandni”, etc. which became super hit in the late 90s.
She also had done impressive item numbers in films like China Gate, Lajja, Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag, etc. In 2008 she played the challenging role in the film Karz, opposite Himesh Reshammiya, the same role which was played by Simi Garewal in Rishi Kapoor’s Karz. Although the film could not rise up to the expectation if compared with Subhash Ghai’s Karz, even then Urmila’s performance was appreciated.
The viewers expect her to continue the good work that she started from her childhood in films like Masoom, and contribute in bollywood films in future.

Happy birth anniversary to Beauty – Queen Madhubala.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birth anniversary to legendary actress and Beauty Queen Madhubala on 14th February, 2016. She had rightly been born on Valentine’s Day, the day when human beings show that love to their most beloved persons. She had glorified bollywood films of the 40s, 50s and 60s.
She stormed bollywood with her spooky character in the film Mahal in 1947. The song “ayega anewala” sung by Lata Mangeshkar and composed by Khemchand Prakash was a milestone in Indian cinema. Lata rose to fame with that song. The film became extremely successful.
In the 40s, she acted in a number of films opposite Raj Kapoor including Neel Kamal, Chitor Bijay, etc. Her films opposite Dilip Kumar like Amar and Sangdil became big hits. She came to number one position with the film Mr. and Mrs 55 opposite Gurudutt. She acted in the role of a rich unmarried girl in the film who lived under the guardianship of Lalita Power. All the songs in the film composed by OP Nayyar became super hit including “thandi hawa”, “jane kaha mera”, etc.
Her films opposite Bharat Bhushan became super hit one after the other including Phagun, Barsaat Ki Raat. Barsaat Ki Raat was a musical blockbuster where Roshanlal Nagrath proved his excellence as composed in ghazals like “zindagi bhar nahi bhulegi wo barsaat ki raat”, qawallies like “na to karwanki talash hai na humsafar ki talash hai”. She gave excellent lips in the songs of the films. Her beauty in Raj Kapoor’s film Do Ustad amazed the viewers. The songs in the film composed by OP Nayyar also became super hit including “nazron ke teer mare kas kas kas”, “tu ladki mai ladka”, etc, picturised on Madhubala and Raj Kapoor.
Mughal-i-Azam was probably the best film of her career in the role of Anarkali. The film had been remade in colour. K Asif spend huge money for making the historical film and all the performers in the film including Madhubala, Dilip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote gave their best. Naushad’s everlasting music still haunts the audience even today. The relationship of Salim and Anarkali was almost a poetry picturized in celluloid. Due to the romantic relationship of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala, at the end of the film, K. Asif did not show that Anarkali was killed by being buried alive in a dungeon and she was brought out of the wall.
Madhubala probably acted opposite all the giants of bollywood industry including Pradeep Kumar in the film Rajhath, Shammi Kapoor in the film Boy Friend, Sunil Dutt in the film Jwala, Dev Anand in Kala Pani, Kishore Kumar in the film Chalti Ka Naam Gari, Ashok Kumar in Howrah Bridge. She gave lips in the songs of all the leading singers of the country, including Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, Samshad Begum and others.
It is difficult to highlight the contribution of beauty queen Madhubala in a small article who is considered the greatest legend ever along with Meena Kumari and Nargis. The viewers pay their tribute to the romantic actress who died more than 40 years ago and left her immortal presence felt through her performances in bollywood films.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Happy birthday to Shahid Kapoor.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shahid Kapoor, the successful romantic star on 25th February, 2015. 2015 had been a fabulous year for him. He received filmfare award for the best actor for his brilliant performance in the film Haider. Haider did great business and fetched Shahid Kapoor best actor awards in Life OK Screen awards and all other awards. He had acted in very successful films in the recent past, but for some reason or the other did not get the acknowledgement he deserved. In 2013 his film Phata Poster Nikla Hero did not do great business. It was released in August, 2013. But his other film R Rajkumar opposite Sonakhi Sinha did business of more than 70 crores. It was declared super hit.
2011 had not been a great year for Shahid Kapoor. He acted in his father Pankaj Kapoor’ film Mausam, but the film did not do great business. In 2012 he required a successful film to regain the stardom. His film Teri Meri Kahaani opposite Priyanka Chopra did not do good business. Sajid Wajid’s music in the film was impressive. All the songs were hit including “mukhtasar mulakat ki”, “jab se mere dil me uff” became super hit. But the film did mediocre business. He was on top of the world with the success of his film Kaminey opposite Priyanka Chopra few years back.
His performance in the film Jab We Met almost pulled the film across the country. His decency and composure in the film was worth mentioning. Yet when the question of recognition did arise the entire credit was taken up by Kareena Kapoor. She received the filmfare award for the best actress for her performance in the film. Even Pritam who composed melodious songs in the film was unrewarded.
Shahid Kapoor’s other successful films included Chup Chup Ke. For most part of the film he pretended to be a deaf and dumb person. He worked with Rajpal Yadav in the house of Om Puri and got associated with Kareena Kapoor. Later in the film his identity was disclosed. His performance in that film was also extraordinary.
The other successful films of Shahid Kapoor include Kismat Connection with Vidya Balan, 36 China Town with Kareena Kapoor, to name a few. In 36 China Town, Shahid Kapoor along with Kareena Kapoor were suspected for murdering a woman in the house. The investigation was carried out by Akshay Khanna and later the servants of the house were found as the actual murderers. The film was serio-comic in nature with Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever also contributing in respective roles.
Shahid Kapoor had outstanding dancing skills. He exhibited it in films like Jab We Met, 36 China Town, etc. With serious competition in the bollywood industry Shahid Kapoor badly needs a big hit in the future to maintain his stardom.
He had established himself as a romantic actor. He has to contribute well in action films, political films and other types of films in future. Besides he had been associated with Kareena Kapoor all along his career. He has to create a combination with other actresses in the bollywood industry as well to show his versatility. He has a bright future in bollywood industry. In 2014 he struck gold with Haider. The viewers expect that his films in 2015 will also do good business.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Jagjit Singh’s excellent compositions will remain immortal forever.
The listeners of music all over the world wish happy birthday to Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh on 8th February, 2016.
Listeners of ghazals remember the king of ghazals Jagjit Singh on 10th October every year. Ghazal King Jagjit Singh passed away on 10th October, 2011. In respect of his excellent ghazals his listeners have remained speechless. His voice had been used to heal sadness and sickness.
He had been the only singer who had composed and sung songs on the poetry of legendary Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee titled “Nayidisha” in 1999 and “Samvedna” in 2002. Along with his wife Chitra Singh, he was the first Indian composer to have used digital multi-track recording for the album “Beyond Time” in 1987.
His original name was Jagpreet Singh. He learned khayal, dhrupad, thumri from Ustaad Jamaal Khan. His album “The unforgetables” in 1976, mesmerized the audience. His baritone voice made everyone enchanted. He departed from classical ghazals to a more refined romantic rendition, by keeping the soul of the lyrics intact.
He created a different gharana, a bit different from the other legends of ghazals like Mehedi Hassan, Talat Mehmood, Mohammad Rafi, Noor Jahan, Begum Akhtar, etc. His compositions in the duet albums “Ecstasies”, “A Sound Affair”, “Passions”, with Chitra Singh were unparallel. Jagjit Singh’s excellent bass was balanced by Chitra Singh’s high notes in most of the ghazals. Duet ghazals like”duniya jise kehte hai jadoo ka khilouna hai”, “kaun keheta hai muhobbat ka zuban hoti hai”, etc., will remain immortal for ever.
After the death of his son Vivek at the age of 21 years, Chitra Singh left singing. But Jagjit Singh’s later albums were full of pathos, but the excellent lyrics of the shayar’s or poets or given adequate expression by the legendary Ghazal King. The titles of his music albums were also thoughtful including Hope, Insight, Mirage, Kahkashan (Galaxy), etc., to name a few.
Jagjit Singh probably had sung with the best poets of the country in the 80s and 90s including Nida Fazli, Qateel Shifai, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Sudarshaan Fakir, Zaka Siddiqi, Nazir Bakri, Faiz Ratlami and others. It required huge talent and innovation to do justice to the thoughtful words shown in the poem.
In whichever field of music Jagjit Singh had ventured he had struck gold, whether his albums in bhajans or gurbani. Jagjit Singh enriched hindi film music with his excellent compositions in the film Saath Saath and others. His film songs like “tumko dekha to ye khayal aya”, “tum itna jo muskura rahi ho”, “hoton se chulo tum” had remained historical masterpieces. His songs in TV Serial Mirza Ghalib had enchanted numerous listeners. A Padmabhushan being awarded to the musical maestro was not enough to reward his brilliance.
One article is too small to highlight his achievements. His immortal works should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Pooja Bhatt.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to sweet actress Pooja Bhatt on 24th February, 2016. She being the daughter of eminent director Mahesh Bhatt, had the task of proving herself in the early phase of her career.
Her first film Daddy in 1989 itself created attention. It was directed by her father Mahesh Bhatt. She was in search of her alcoholic father Anupam Kher in the film. It was a great effort.
Her next films Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi with Aamir Khan, Sadak with Sanjay Dutt stormed bollywood in 1991. In all the films of Pooja Bhatt, the stories and the music touched the souls of the viewers. All the songs of Dil Hai ki Manta Nahi and Sadak like “dil hai ki manta nahi” or “tujhe apna bananeki” became big hit.
She acted in a number of films in the 1990s including Tadipaar opposite Mithun Chakravarty, Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Ayi, Angrakshak opposite Sunny Deol, etc. Her film Humdono opposite Rishi Kapoor and Nana Patekar was very impressive. She was also sublime in the films Prem Diwane, Satwaan Asmaan. In Satwaan Aasman she played the character of a cancer patient who died at the end of the film.
She received National Award for best film on other social issues for her film Tamanna. Her other film Zakhm opposite Ajay Devgan touched the souls of cinegoers. Her film Border in 1997 was also a big hit.
After late 1990s, Pooja Bhatt concentrated in film direction. She made impressive films like Holiday, Dhoka, Jism 2, etc. She also produced a number of these films. Her films should be restored for meaningful stories and melodious music.

Happy birthday to Wahida Rehman.
The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to veteran actress Wahida Rehman on 3rd February, 2016.
Wahida Rehman was known for her combination with actor director Guru Dutt. From 1957, the viewers saw thoughtful Guru Dutt in films like Pyaasa and Kagaz Ka Phool. Both the films were based on eternal truth. Pyasa was related to recognition of a poet in a materialistic world. Kagaz Ka Phool was related to story of directors and performers in celluloid, their rise and their fall due to ungratefulness of opportunists in society. The music composed by SD Burman in both these films were of high standard. Wahida Rehman balanced the thoughtful acting of Guru Dutt in these films. Also the lyrics of Sahir Ludhiyanvi were very meaningful. The notable songs included “yeh mahalon yeh takhton yeh tajon ki duniya”, “sar jo tera”, “bichar gaya bari bari” sung by Rafi, “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” sung by Geeta Dutt, to name a few. It was very unfortunate that Guru Dutt did not receive the filmfare award for the best actor for his thoughtful performance in the film Pyaasa.
Guru Dutt and Wahida Rehman’s onscreen chemistry was accepted by viewers in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand. The title song “chaudavi ka chand ho, ya aaftab ho” sung by Rafi and composed by Ravi can be considered as one of the ten best ghazals composed in the history of bollywood music. Guru Dutt bought colour in the song sequence. The film did great business. It was listed in the top five grosser of bollywood after Mughal-i-Azam, Kohinoor and Barsaat Ki Raat in the year 1960. Guru Dutt as an actor did great job in films like Bharosa, Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam, Saanz Aur Sawera, etc. His early demise in the mid-60s led to huge loss in the film industry as his works were filled with deep thoughts.
In the 1960s Wahida Rehman acted in super hit films one after the other. Her successful films included Ram Aur Shyam, Dil Diya Dard Liya opposite Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, Patthat Ke Sanam opposite Manoj Kumar, Teesri Kasam opposite Raj Kapoor, Guide opposite Dev Anand, Dharti opposite Rajender Kumar to name a few.
The viewers pay respect to legendary actress Wahida Rehman on her birthday and want the restoration of her works to acknowledge her creativity as actress and versatility.

Dr. Souvik Chatterji

Master of Law from Warwick University, Coventry,UK

Received Doctorate Degree in Philosophy of law from National Law University, Jodhpur after submitting PhD Thesis in Law in National Law University, Jodhpur on the topic “Treatment of Cartels in India and USA”.